One Night in Nibelheim
by AkiraDawn
Summary: October was the perfect month for a long ride to Nibelheim. Cloud and Tifa hadn't been there in several years. It was time to go pay a visit and one night away from Midgar in this quaint mountain town would be an autumn paradise. Rated M!
1. October in Midgar

One Night in Nibelheim

This is my sort of part 3 installment to 'She's Like the Wind' and 'Hungry Eyes'. It's not a true part 3 but I wanted to write something else that related to those previous stories. Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you like it!

I don't own Final Fantasy, it belong to Square Enix.

"Hello?" Tifa answered the phone. She laughed. "Oh my god! Hey, you! What's going on?" she asked as she threw some things into a large duffle on the bed.

"Long time no talk, young lady. What the hell you been in to?" the voice on the other end asked. She laughed and sighed.

"Oooh working a lot, keeping the books current on the business, raising two kids, and that's about it." Tifa answered.

"Oh yeah, that's right! You're doing that pretend mom thing these days. How's that working out for you?" The voice on the other end of the phone was none other than Cid Highwind. It was a voice Tifa hadn't heard in some time. Tifa laughed at him.

"It's going well. The kids are very happy. Marlene is in the 6th grade this year and Denzel is in the 5th." Tifa said.

"Does Barret come around much?" Cid asked.

"No. He's on some kind of assignment up north. He keeps sending checks and me and Cloud keep sending them through the paper shredder. He hasn't seen Marlene since Cloud's birthday which was two months ago." Tifa said.

"Yeah, so Cloud? How is he?" Cid asked.

"He's great, Cid. He really is. He's working less since we hired so many new employees for the delivery business. I think he likes it that way. The best part is that I no longer handle the delivery phone calls and the boxes don't come to this apartment anymore! He and I can actually walk into our kitchen without tripping over fifty things. In fact we replaced the carpet with hardwood floors in here since we no longer have boxes that will scratch them to pieces." Tifa said.

"You mean to tell me Cloud picked out hardwood floors with you and didn't have some kind of personal crisis or irrational meltdown? Tifa! What the hell have you done to my boy! Nah, nah I'm playing. I'm glad to hear he's doing well. I would love to see you two. A little bird named Yuffie told me he put quite a lot of rock in your ears for your birthday this year." Cid said. Tifa laughed and zipped the duffle on the bed.

"Well, the little bird told you correctly." Tifa blushed a bit.

"Listen. What are you and Cloud doing this weekend?" Cid asked.

"Actually, we're going to be leaving in about an hour or so for Nibelheim. Cloud's only working half a day today and I worked overtime last night so I wouldn't have to go in this weekend. We're going to see my dad and not to mention we haven't been back to Nibelheim for several years now. We're just staying for the night." Tifa said.

"Okay, what do you think about me dropping by to see you all Sunday?" Cid asked.

"That would be great, Cid. Any time is fine." Tifa said.

"Those kids excited to see Nibelheim? They've never been there right?" Cid asked.

"They aren't going with us. Listen to this. Yuffie and this guy she's seeing are picking up the kids early from school today and they are going to an indoor water park for pretty much the rest of the day. Yuffie's staying here at the apartment with them. Cloud made her swear on her life that her boyfriend wouldn't stay here with her and the kids. It was so funny." Tifa said.

"I can't believe you're entrusting Yuffie to your children." Cid said laughing.

"Hey! They love Yuffie! Besides, Yuffie is 20 going on 12 she has fun with them and comes up with the craziest shit to do with them." Tifa said. Cid laughed again.

"I can't believe you just used Yuffie and boyfriend in the same sentence. Of course I also can't believe how you have Cloud whipped into this family life of picking out flooring for your apartment and cutting down on his hours at work." Cid said.

"Hey, that was all Cloud's doing. I just sat back and watched it happen and I wouldn't lie to you about that kind of thing Cid." Tifa said.

"Yeah, I know. You're a good girl, Tifa for putting up with that man this long. Listen here, I'll let you go. I can't wait to see you two and the kids Sunday. I'll call you sometime tomorrow and let you know what time I'll be in. Do you think Cloud would be okay with the kids coming on to the _Shera_? I'd love to show it to them." Cid said sincerely.

"Yeah, he'd be fine with that. But I'm warning you, they will each have fifty questions a piece." Tifa said. Cid laughed.

"That's great! Even better! If that's something they would be interested in, then I would be happy for them to come aboard. Alright, I'll see you Sunday, bye Tifa!" Cid said.

"Bye Cid, see you soon!" Tifa answered him before hanging up the phone. There was still a lot to do before Cloud came home and they left for Nibelheim. It was a three hour trip from Midgar and today was the perfect October day for a ride. Tifa made sure Marlene and Denzel's stuff was laid out on their beds for their trip to the water park with Yuffie: swimsuits, extra clothes, flip flops, an extra pair of shoes for later, and towels. It was all there. Tifa grabbed the duffle bag she had packed for her and Cloud and plopped it at the edge of the kitchen counter near the door. She dug around in her purse for some money to leave for Yuffie. She thought it was a good idea to leave her a note as well. Tifa scribbled her dad's phone number on a piece of paper. As she wrote she heard the door open. Cloud was home earlier than expected.

"Hey." Tifa said.

"Hey…look at this." Cloud said shoving some papers in front of Tifa's face. So much for that note she was working on for Yuffie. Tifa glanced over the three pages that Cloud had shoved at her. "Oh you had your physical today." Tifa said scanning the first page. Ever since Cloud had been exposed to Mako he required a physical every year to ensure the Mako wasn't doing anything strange in his body.

"Yes, I had my physical." Cloud said a bit disgruntled.

"And you sound so irritated by this because everything came back normal?" Tifa questioned with sarcasm.

"Look at the top." Cloud said getting a glass of water from the sink.

"Yeah, you'd think they would know how to spell your last name by now." Tifa said noticing the typo.

"No, no…that's not it. Look at my weight." Cloud insisted sitting across from her.

"150 pounds." Tifa read it without any inflection in her voice.

"Exactly, Tifa! 150 pounds! I'm ten pounds heavier this year, Tifa! I have gained ten pounds since my last physical." Cloud said. Tifa looked at him over the papers.

"And you're upset over this because….?" Tifa questioned noticing Cloud was going to get dramatic on her for the next god only knows how long.

"I have always, always weighed 140 pounds. What have I done differently that has put ten pounds on me! Where on me have I put on ten pounds? Where! You show me." Cloud said standing up. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Okay, Miss Cloud sit down and chill. Are you seriously sitting here and whining like a menopausal housewife over how you weighed at your physical?" Tifa said.

"Yes! I can't believe this, Tifa! I haven't gained weight in years! Why now!" Cloud whined at her. Tifa sighed.

"Come on…" Tifa stood up and grabbed Cloud by the hand.

"Where are we going?" Cloud questioned.

"I'm putting an end to this. You're going to take off all your clothes and get on our scale." Tifa said. "Anytime you get weighed at any doctor they always weigh you dressed; did you ever think of that?" Tifa said waiting for Cloud to undress and step on the scale and put an end to this drama.

"Go ahead, strip! I'm going to read the number to you before you look at it!" Tifa insisted. Cloud did as she told him. "Now look straight ahead. Stand still!" Tifa scolded him." She looked at the scale. "140 pounds. There, are you happy? Now, get dressed. I have to finish the note I'm leaving for Yuffie.

"Huh…140 pounds. This changes everything! I can have an amazing dinner with your dad tonight! Oh we are going to take him some place nice!" Cloud insisted completely relieved by this.

"I'm glad your test came back normal even though I feel like I should be handing you a tampon right now." Tifa yelled from the kitchen.

"Did you say you're writing a note to Yuffie? Put in there that she needs to make sure the kids do their homework tomorrow." Cloud said getting dressed again.

"Thanks for reminding me, I actually hadn't thought of that. How was your day besides the obvious drama the doctor created for you?" Tifa asked continuing her note.

"Today was really low key. I'm guessing it's because of it being Friday. Did you already pack for us?" Cloud asked searching the bedroom for the duffle bag that he didn't realize was already packed.

"Yeah, the bag's out here." Tifa said. She had just finished the note to Yuffie. "Hey guess who's going to come by and see us Sunday? Cid! He called today and said he's going to be in town." Tifa said heading toward the couch to get her shoes.

"It's been forever since we've seen him. Yuffie has a key to the apartment, right?" Cloud asked.

"Yes, I gave it to her yesterday. Denzel and Marlene's things are laid out on their bed. I paid our cell phone bill today and called Yuffie this morning to tell her not to pick up the kids until after 12:00 so it would count as a full day of school." Tifa said. Cloud laughed.

"She will pick them up at 12:01 exactly." He said.

"She said she would take a camera with her to the water park." Tifa said buttoning her sweater coat and pulling her hair back into a pony tail before they left for the ride to Nibelheim. "Okay, I'm ready." Tifa said. Cloud picked up their duffle bag before turning the kitchen light out.

"I'm looking forward to this. I can't believe it's been so long since I've seen your father. I imagine his opinion of me has changed over the years. I, at least, hope it has." Cloud said locking the door behind Tifa as she stepped out onto the stairs. "We need to stop and get gas before we get too far out of town. The prices are higher the farther out of Midgar we get. Do you have our confirmation number for the inn?" Cloud asked.

"I do. It's in my purse." Tifa said as they reached the base of the stairs. They walked around to the back overhang where the Fenrir was parked. It was time to load up and get going if they wanted to be in Nibelheim by 2:00. The ride to Nibelheim was going to be a beautiful one. The leaves were clad in radiant hues and the air was crisp today. Nibelheim would be considerably cooler than Midgar simply because of its elevation. Strangely, neither Cloud nor Tifa was nervous about returning to Nibelheim after all these years. Tifa had talked to her father frequently on the phone and so their appearance would be no surprise for him. Tifa's father didn't however; understand this living situation she had with Cloud.

"Alright, that's everything." Tifa said closing up one of the back side hatches. Cloud dug around in his pocket for the keys, finally finding them. Tifa got on the bike behind him.

"Don't you think for a minute you can lay on me and go to sleep." Cloud said teasing her. Tifa laughed.

"I promise I won't lay on you and go to sleep. There's no way I could anyway." Tifa said.

"Are we going to check in at the inn first or go straight to your dad's?" Cloud asked her.

"Let's check in first. We'll call him once we get to the inn to let him know we're there." Tifa said. It was a busy Friday in Midgar as they left the traffic circle for the freeway toward the outer belt of the city. They would be traveling a mostly two lane road to Nibelheim. There was a gas station at the end of the freeway. For a moment Tifa thought about digging her gloves out of the duffle bag when they stopped to fill up. But since Cloud had worn his gloves she decided she would just jam her hands in the pockets of his coat instead of rummaging through their bag and potentially spilling its contents all over the storage compartment. Tifa wrapped her arms around Cloud's waist and snuck her hands into his fleece-lined pockets. He was always so warm, or at least it seemed that way.

They were on the freeway now, taking in the October air. The gas station wasn't far up ahead. It would be the last stop before they headed for the outer belt to Nibelheim.


	2. It's Not Playing House

NIBELHEIM 20 MILES the sign read. It had been a pleasant and beautiful ride. Cloud and Tifa had the roads nearly to themselves which was the perfect way to travel. The temperature had to be in the low 60's by now since they were climbing in elevation. It may have even been somewhere in the high 50's. Tifa had her head on Cloud's back at this point but she promised she wouldn't fall asleep. She could feel the air becoming cooler on her face and the landscape becoming rockier. Leaves flew all around them as small tudor-esque homes began to dot the distant hillside. Nibelheim was still an isolated mountain town, even now. Sure it had the modern amenities that most cities had; but it still lacked an urban center and its population was a mere 4000 people compared to the 75,000 plus that lived in Midgar. Life was still slow and easy in Nibelheim.

ATTRACTIONS: MT. NIBEL 5 MILES, MAKO REACTOR SITE 5 MILES, HISTORIC SHIN-RA MANOR 2 MILES, NIBELHEIM USE EXIT 12 AND 13 the sign read. They had arrived.

"I can't believe we're here." Tifa said squeezing her body closer into Cloud's.

"I know. It's been forever, hasn't it?" Cloud said.

"It has. The Inn is on Remy Lane. Take a right at the light." Tifa said. Cloud needed her to give him the directions. Even though the town had been rebuilt after the fire that destroyed it; it still looked the same. The same shops lined the streets, the same markets were nestled among the vendors and above all; the water tower…though rebuilt and not looking the way it once did, was still the center of town. Tifa found herself temporarily mesmerized by the sight of this new water tower. She almost forgot to tell Cloud to turn left at the next intersection. Nibelheim was buzzing this afternoon with people walking the streets and the sights of autumn all around.

"That's the place up there on the right isn't it?" Cloud asked Tifa.

"Yeah, that's it." Tifa answered. There was a small parking lot on the side of the building. The Inn wasn't at all anything too glamorous and it only had minimal vacancies. Once parked, both Cloud and Tifa were ready to get off this bike and move around. Nibelheim was truly picturesque today. The time was 2:30; they had mostly stayed on schedule.

"You want to call your dad and I'll go check in and get our key?" Cloud asked of her.

"Yes, that sounds great." Tifa said opening the back hatch and pulling their bag out and plopping it on the pavement.

"Oh here…you'll need this." Tifa dug around in her purse for the confirmation number and her cell phone to call her father. She handed the confirmation number that was scribbled on a piece of paper to Cloud.

"Hey, ask your dad where he wants to eat tonight." Cloud said heading toward the door.

"Okay." Tifa answered him as she dialed up her father. She looked around her at the phone rang. "Hey dad, we're here." She finally said.

"Tifa! Hi sweetheart! Did you have a good trip?" he father asked.

"It was a wonderful trip. We're checking in to the Inn now. I'm going to call and get us a dinner reservation. Where would you like to go tonight?" Tifa asked her father.

"Anywhere you want to go is fine." Tifa's father answered her.

"Alright, we're going to unpack which won't take us long and we'll be over." Tifa said.

"I'll be waiting for you. I can't wait to hug you again sweetheart." He father said. Tifa smiled.

"Me too dad, me too." She answered. "See you in a few." Tifa hung up the phone and picked up the duffle bag. A small bell rang on the door as she entered the Inn. Cloud was slapping his signature on something as Tifa came through the door.

"If you need anything dial zero on your phone in the room for the front desk." The employee behind the desk said. This was a small place and rustic in its structure and décor. There was a fire in the lobby fireplace, filling the room with the smell of charred wood. Tifa followed Cloud to the staircase that was just past the front desk.

"Dad doesn't care where we eat tonight so if you have someplace in mind that's fine." Tifa said. Their room was in the middle of the hallway near an ice machine. It was surprising to see an ice machine in an inn of this size. Cloud unlocked their room. It was small and quite cozy to look at.

"It doesn't matter to me. Let's look at a directory. I'm sure there is one in here somewhere." Cloud said turning a light on and heading over to a desk in the corner for a directory of businesses in Nibelheim. Cloud picked up the directory and sat on the edge of the bed. Tifa went over to the window beside the bed and opened it. Cool air rushed in. It smelled of pine, roasting meats and open pit fires. Tifa remembered it smelling that way when she was little.

"Oh my god, Tifa! I want to go here! Can we go here! Let's go here!" Cloud said pointing to some restaurant on the page like a seven year old.

"Barbeque, smoked brisket, and local beer on tap. Yeah, let's go there. Dad would like that very well actually." Tifa said. Cloud looked out the open window that Tifa had just moved from.

"You know, now I wish we would have brought Marlene and Denzel with us and stayed here more than a day." Cloud said.

"Yeah, we really should have. I guess we just weren't thinking fast enough. We need to bring them back here this winter and show them what a real snow storm looks like." Tifa said putting the directory down and walking over to Cloud. She put her hands on his shoulders.

"So, I know your dad isn't the biggest fan of what we have right now…but what do I definitely not want to say to him." Tifa put her arms around Cloud.

"Hmm…let's avoid any sentence that might end with '…in bed'. Remember, in his mind I am eternally five years old." Tifa said. Cloud laughed at her and moved around so that Tifa was in front of him.

"That I can do. We should probably go. But not until I kiss you because if I don't do it now I'll forget and kiss you in front of your dad and then he'll really freak out." Cloud said sinking his lips into hers. It was a long overdo kiss.

"Please tell me that's just a preview of what's to come later." Tifa asked letting go of Cloud and picking her purse up from the desk. She threw him the keys to the bike that had somehow ended up there.

"Of course it is." Cloud reassured her following her out the door. They would be at her dad's in no time. Cloud took her hand as the door closed behind them and he pulled her down the stairs behind him. Tifa's father only lived three streets away from the inn. "I thought seeing home again would be hard for me. It hasn't been…yet. I think it's because I'm here with you." Cloud said sincerely as they got on the bike once more to head for Tifa's father's house.

"I had hoped this trip would be easy on you." Tifa said.

"Yeah. Are you anxious to see your dad? You haven't seen him in months." Cloud said.

"I'm excited to see him, although I'm also a little nervous simply because he always asks so many questions. Turn right up here at the light." Tifa instructed Cloud.

"Did you call that restaurant?" Cloud asked her.

"I didn't need to, they don't require reservations. Now just go straight until this road dead ends and forces you to turn right." Tifa said. This was a residential street. It was lined with cars and the houses were packed in on top of each other.

"It's the house up there with the light post in the front isn't it?" Cloud asked.

"That's the one." Tifa said squeezing Cloud tighter.

"You're nervous about this, I can tell." Cloud said parking on the opposite side of the street. Tifa didn't get off the back of the bike yet. She looked at her dad's house. It wasn't the house she grew up in, it was smaller and required less care. She took a deep breath.

"I am…a little nervous about seeing him. I didn't think I would be but now here we are in front of his house. He's just….he doesn't understand _this_…what you and I have. He…" Tifa shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it…it's just…he gets stuff in his head about the way things should be and…come on let's just go get the initial awkward hello out of the way." Tifa said getting ready to slide off the back of the bike. Cloud grabbed her hands.

"Look at me…I love you. We can leave any time you want and I'll follow you right out of there." Cloud's kiss gave her the strength to get off the bike and take Cloud in hand to her father's door. She knocked on the door and squeezed Cloud's hand tighter behind her. The door opened. Tifa smiled nervously.

"Hi daddy." She said letting go of Cloud's hand and putting her arms around her father.

"Tifa…ooooh Tifa it's so good to see you, sweetheart! Come in, come in, come in!" Her father motioned Tifa inside.

"Cloud." Her father acknowledged him reaching his hand out toward Cloud.

"Nice to see you, it's been a while, I know." Cloud said. Her father shook his head in agreement.

"Do you all want something to drink? I always have scotch or I could put a pot of coffee on. Oh! Yes, yes, come drink some coffee with me in the kitchen." Tifa's father said heading toward the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on. Her father was 54 years old and in superb health. He ran two miles a day and was a member of several organizations in Nibelheim. Secretly, Tifa wondered why her father hadn't started dating someone in Nibelheim and remarried by now.

"Your house looks nice, dad. Tifa said sitting at his kitchen table. Cloud sat close beside her.

"Thank you. Is caffeinated alright? I don't have any decaf." He father said.

"It's fine." Tifa said.

"How's your business? Tifa tells me it's grown quickly." Her father asked of Cloud.

"It has. It got much too big for just us to handle. There is a building you can actually walk in to now and we have a total of fifty employees. I guess you could say we are now considered an established business since there is a full page ad in the phone book." Cloud explained to him.

"Do you do the deliveries yourself still?" he asked.

"No, I stopped doing those three months ago. I set in front of a computer and schedule the deliveries, route the drivers and do the supply ordering. I also go to all the regional meetings and things like that since I'm technically the manager." Cloud said.

"You know dad, we have a logo now. It gets put on letterhead and return addresses and rumor has it the logo will be one of six on the back of Denzel's soccer teams' t-shirts." Tifa said laughing.

"But we only got on the shirt because we gave that weird coach like fifty boxes." Cloud said. Tifa's father brought a steaming carafe of coffee to the table. He looked at Tifa and then Cloud.

"That's the boy right? The one that lives with you. He's old enough to play soccer?" her father questioned reaching for mugs that were behind him.

"Denzel's in the 5th grade, daddy. We don't think he's athletic enough for soccer because of his allergies but he wanted to sign up so we thought we could at least let him try it." Tifa said.

"He's had three games. Me and Tifa just stand there and act like we know what's going on. Occasionally, we'll yell something at the ref just to try and blend in. We hope he doesn't stick with this because we do not fit in with those soccer parents at all. It's quite sad." Cloud said. Tifa's father didn't say anything. He shoved a steaming hot mug toward Tifa first and then Cloud.

"What about the girl?" Her father asked pouring his own mug.

"She's singing in the choir at school and is a member a few clubs there. She's really into science too." Tifa said. Her father shook his head. "Oh, here…I have some pictures." Tifa said turning around getting her purse. She pulled her checkbook out pulled the pictures out of the side of it. Her father didn't have much to say. He nodded his head a couple times but that was about it. Tifa looked nervously down at her full coffee cup. In her heart, she didn't think that was a very good sign. Cloud didn't even dare reach for the picture he had in his wallet of all of them at the beach.

"Hm…kind of like real grandkids...only they aren't." He said handing the pictures back to Tifa. She didn't really know what to say. Did he mean that as an insult or did it just come out that way? Cloud's phone rang. He quickly dug it out of his pocket and looked at it.

"I'm sorry. Its work, I need to take it. They are probably freaking over something insignificant. I'll be right back." Cloud said leaving Tifa there with her father. Tifa looked at him. He shook his head again and sighed.

"Tifa…when are you going to get out of this?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked her father taking a drink of the coffee.

"This playing house thing. Look at you, you're living with him of all people; which frankly darling, is stupid. You have two children that aren't even yours. You've had them what…two years now? Honey…you are setting yourself up for a disaster." Her father said seriously.

"Daddy…" Tifa began. He interrupted her.

"Let's remember Tifa…you were 14 years old climbing Mt. Nibel and he…" Tifa cut her father off.

"Daddy, we talked about that…you know that wasn't…" he interrupted Tifa.

"Okay, okay. Well, then let's talk about your friend…what was her name again? Didn't he let her die? Hm? Too little too late, huh? Now let's talk about when you were 22 and you were, frankly, what I would call…a single mom. He left you Tifa…left you and two unwanted kids without a regret in the world." her father said.

"It wasn't like that at all…Denzel was sick and…" Tifa's father cut her off again.

"Don't fight his battles for him. It's bullshit Tifa. What happens when things get hard again? Hmm? Then what? Do you really think honey, that he will be there? And what happens when you have your own child? Hmmm? What then? Those other two castaways that you have will resent that because they aren't yours, Tifa…and well…that child will be. What then, darling? No matter what Tifa, no matter how hard you try those kids will never be _yours_. They will always be someone else's unwanted children. They will grow up to hate you because you can slap any label you want to on it Tifa…you're not their mom….he's not their dad…and it breaks my heart to see you kidding yourself like this. I wanted so much more for you. If I were a betting man Tifa; I'd bet my very life that _he_ will never, ever marry you. He won't even be around in two years anyway." TIfa's father stopped talking. Tifa was a tough one to crack but she was on the verge of falling apart right now. She had to pull it together to stand up to her father.

"I'm not having any child of my own, dad…in case you missed it…I have _two_ already." Tifa said sarcastically. She was mad at him, she wasn't even hurt anymore…she was just plain mad. "Did it ever once occur to you…that maybe what you want for me and what I want for me might be different? I have the best life in the world, daddy. You don't…pardon my language…you don't know shit about _our_ kids…you don't know shit about Cloud. I don't expect you to ever understand my life…but I expect you to take it seriously because nothing about it is changing." Tifa stood up to him well even though on the inside he had rattled her.

"Let me see one of your checks." Her father asked of her.

"Huh?" Tifa was puzzled.

"Let me see….your checkbook." He repeated. Tifa handed it over to him. "Just as I thought, both your names are on these checks. I bet you have a joint credit card too. It's all coming up roses for you, isn't it darling? It is until he leaves you and drains your checking account." Tifa's father said handing her checkbook back to her. Tifa stared into her cup of coffee as the anger boiled inside her. "Those are some big diamonds in your ears. Where are your mother's earrings?" he asked her.

"Marlene wears them…_my daughter_…Marlene…wears them." Tifa had never actually called Marlene her daughter before but her father was pushing her buttons and it just came out that way.

"Speaking of earrings, Tifa…you want me to take this life of yours seriously? Honey, I can't take any grown man that wears earrings seriously." Tifa's father said finishing his coffee.

"Daddy…even though I hate you right now; I'll always love you. And when Cloud comes back in this room…I'm going pretend that this conversation never happened. One more thing daddy…don't you ever…_ever_ call _our_ kids castaways or unwanted ever again. I swear dad…I'll knock your fuckin' teeth out and I mean that." Tifa's eyes were full of rage and her father could see it clearly. Her father couldn't say anything further. Cloud came back into the kitchen with them.

"Sorry, my people don't seem to know how to use a fax machine…nor do they know how to un-jam it." Cloud sat down beside Tifa again. He could tell by the way she squeezed his hand something wasn't right.


	3. We Both Have Daughters

It was 5:00. This had been a horrible two hours at Tifa's father's house. It wasn't at all how she pictured this visit would go. Tifa thought her dad would be so happy to see her and to hear about how wonderful things were at home. My god, Cloud had an excellent job as did Tifa and their two children couldn't have been happier…what more could her father had possibly wanted for her? The answer was simple: everything. She hadn't said much since Cloud had come back to the table with them; which left Cloud talking to him for a good forty-five minutes without much help from Tifa.

"We need to go dad. Um…me and Cloud are going to dinner alone tonight." Tifa said.

"You don't want me to go with you?" he asked her.

"I wouldn't want it to embarrass you in public if….god forbid…we get a call from our children because they want to tell us all about their day with their Aunt Yuffie….and no daddy she's not their _real_ aunt…just like everything else in your daughter's _fake _life." Tifa said. She promised herself she would keep her mouth shut but she was silently stewing over what her father had said and it just came out.

"Oh, Tifa please. Come on sweetie." He father sincerely wanted to go with them but at this point she wouldn't have it for a minute.

"You know what dad? When we got here today, and checked into our room…which, for the record _doesn't_ have separate beds because we _aren't_ living in 1930 anymore…anyway, we thought it would have been a great idea to have brought Marlene and Denzel…which by the way that's our son and daughter, in case you forgot…with us because they've never seen this place. We thought…damn…we should have brought them…and really…we thought it would have been nice if they could've met you…if they could have met _my_ dad…" Tifa was starting to tear up. It was getting hard to fight it off. "…because Cloud's parents are gone…Denzel's parents are _gone_…Marlene's parents…are gone…but I had you…I _had_ you. And now…I've lost you." Tifa sniffed a few times. "Someday you will regret this, daddy." It was the last thing Tifa said before standing up and heading for the door.

Cloud still had that 'what the hell just happened here' look on his face but he followed Tifa without asking or saying anything.

"Tifa, I…" her father started but she shut the door in his face. Cloud had no fucking clue what was going on right now.

"I'm…not really sure what's going on here…but I swear if she is out there crying…I'm gonna want to hurt you...Uh…I guess I'm going to go now." Cloud said. He left her father standing there in the doorway.

Tifa was standing in the middle of the road. Cloud pulled her hair away from her face and put his hands on her shoulders. She had her back to him. "What happened in there?" Cloud asked her, resting his head on hers. Tifa didn't say anything, she just sniffed. She didn't want Cloud to see her cry. She didn't want anyone to see her cry…ever. "Tifa, I know you're crying…you don't have to hide." Cloud tried to convince her. Tifa turned around and buried her face in Cloud's shirt. There wasn't anything he could say to her right now. But he could hold her and let her cry. He knew she would talk when she was ready.

It only took Tifa a few big sobs to get it out of her system. She wiped her eyes and looked at Cloud. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…that was…he just got to me that's all." Tifa said.

"You don't have to apologize, Tifa. What did he say to you in there?" Cloud asked her.

"Its okay, Cloud. We can just let it go now." Tifa said wanting to bury that this moment ever happened.

"No, we can't just let it go. He said _something_ to you to get you this upset." Cloud said. Tifa looked at Cloud. He saw nothing but hurt in her big, weepy brown eyes. He didn't say anything…he didn't have to…his kiss spoke for him. Cloud wiped his fingers through teary streaks on Tifa's face.

"Come on. Let's go get something to eat and when you're ready to tell me what your father said to you…I'll be right here." Cloud said taking her hand in his. That wasn't quite good enough, however. He put her arm around her shoulders…that was better. Cloud looked at her again before getting on the bike. He leaned up against it instead, holding Tifa up against him.

"He called it playing house. He doesn't take you seriously. He called our children unwanted." Tifa said.

"He said…what…about Marlene and Denzel?" That was it. Cloud didn't give a shit what Tifa's dad said about him but now her father had treaded on sacred ground. "Wait here…" Cloud said to Tifa.

"Wait…it's not worth it Cloud. Let daddy regret it later. He'll pay, not now but he will pay for it." Tifa said.

"This won't take long. Just wait here a minute. He's not going to get by with this." Cloud said. He was going to settle this. There was no stopping him. He walked back across the street and knocked on her father's door once more.

"You hurt something of mine; now I'm going to hurt something of yours. I'm going to start with your heart because I think that's where I can hurt you the most. You and I have something in common…we both have a daughter. Whether or not you want to admit that you and I have _anything_ in common is your prerogative. But we _both_…._have_…a daughter. Now, there is one thing about us that is very different. You just threw your daughter under the bus…and I would stand in front of the bus for mine. You and I have something else in common…we have both made our daughters cry. I don't know about you but I think that's one of the worst things a father can do. What kind of father makes his daughter cry? A shitty one that's what kind."

"I have been a better father to Tifa than…" Cloud cut Tifa's father off.

"Shut up, I'm not done." Cloud said.

"Any father…who makes their daughter cry…is an asshole. _My_ daughter forgave me…even though I think she should have held it against me forever. _Your_ daughter…may not ever forgive you. How does that feel knowing that you broke your daughter's heart? I bet you're not so big and bad now, are you? Are you going to stand here before me and tell me you proved a point? You didn't prove anything…except that you're as asshole father and that you're a bully to _my _kids. You take a good, hard, look at your little girl…that's the last time you're going to see her for a long, long time. I want you to remember her with tears in her eyes. And since you think me and Tifa are playing house…don't call our phone…because a toy phone doesn't ring." Cloud had finished telling Tifa's father everything he wanted. He walked away, leaving Tifa's father speechless. Her father watched as Tifa put her arms around Cloud. It was true…Cloud had hurt him where it would hurt the most. His heart just rode away down the street and he had caused it…

Once Cloud and Tifa had returned to town; they parked on the side of the road in front of the cedar-smelling open pit barbecue restaurant. Cloud got off the bike first and looked at Tifa. She hadn't budged; she leaned back and shifted her eyes to Cloud. She couldn't help but smile; and furthermore she laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Cloud asked. Tifa's smile was sincere. There was something oddly beautiful about the sight of her with the backdrop of mountains behind her and the scent of burning wood around her. She looked strangely content.

"I don't know…I'm just…I'm happy that…" Tifa sighed and smiled again. "I guess I'm just a relieved that dad knows how I really feel. The other part of me is a little tickled by what you said to him. And another part of me is so happy that I finally used the word 'son' and daughter' out loud." Tifa said. On their way here, Cloud had told Tifa exactly what he had said to her father.

"Yeah. Well, I mean…they _are_ our son and daughter and although we've never said it…I think we've known it all along. Shit Tifa, you and I are awful when it comes to talking about what's on our minds. It always takes some catalytic mess to make us talk. This was the disaster to make us say son and daughter out loud. There's our silver lining! If it weren't for your father insulting our children we would still not be using those words." Cloud said. That made her laugh even more.

"Yeah, you're right. We need drama to make us talk. You know, we should really work on that. " She said.

"Yeah, we should. You're really okay aren't you?" he asked her.

"I am. You know, mother birds get really pissed when something disturbs their nest…my dad disturbed the nest and I lost it. Thank you for…walking out with me today." Tifa said.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Cloud promised her. "Come here." Cloud reached his arms out to her. "I'm going to kiss you much too inappropriately for a public place and hope that people see it." Tifa laughed and reached her arms out to Cloud. It was most definitely _not_ a kiss for public. The way Tifa sat sideways on the bike and way Cloud held her up against him; it was like a scene made for the movies…except it was really happening. "Do you think anybody saw that?" Cloud asked her.

"Tifa laughed again." I hope so. It was worth seeing. Cloud smiled at her. "I love to see you smile." Tifa's words were so sincere.

"_You_ make me smile. Let's get in there before it gets crowded. It's happy hour…in more ways than one." Cloud said. Tifa slid off the bike and grabbed her purse from one of the back compartments. Cloud took her hand and lead her inside.

This was a happening place tonight. There was already a crowd; likely because the beer on tap was cheap until 9:00 tonight. "Do you want to sit outside or in here?" Cloud asked referring to the back patio that this place had.

"I want to sit by that big fireplace over there. I'm afraid I'll get cold outside after the sun goes down." Tifa said.

"Very well, we'll see what we can do about that." Cloud said. The hostess soon approached them and Cloud requested a table near the fireplace. Since it was early, it wasn't a problem getting a table. They followed the hostess to the back side of the fireplace.

"Oh wow, now see this is just perfect. Walk in, get a table by this fire with no waiting." Tifa said staring into the embers. Tifa heard her phone make a noise. She reached around in her purse to get it. Her face lit up. "Look at this picture Yuffie just sent." Tifa said handing her phone to Cloud.

"Oh my god, that is a bad wipeout. Denzel probably broke Yuffie in two and it looks like Marlene was on the bottom." Cloud said texting something to Yuffie.

"I think the point of that water slide is that you're _supposed_ to wipe out at the bottom of it." Tifa said taking her phone back. Chances were Yuffie wouldn't get that message any time soon.

"I bet they are having a hell of a time with Yuffie and her new man." Tifa said.

"And the thing is….if _we_ would have offered to take them to that water park…they wouldn't have wanted to go." Cloud said.

"It's because Yuffie is their cool, fun aunt and we…well…for all practical purposes…" Tifa looked around as if she were seeing if anyone were listening. "…we're 'mom' and 'dad'. Oooh god, my dad is burning right now because I said that." Tifa said the last part sarcastically. Her saying that didn't freak Cloud like it had when Marlene said it at the beach. Things were different now. Cloud smiled.

"You're dad probably just combusted into ash. God, they are going to wear themselves out at that place today." Cloud said. "Okay, here's what I think…I think you should just order two beers to begin with. Make it two different ones."

"I can't do that! If I drink two beers on an empty stomach I will be buzzed instantly." Tifa said looking over the menu.

"That's okay, then you can order two more and you'll be kinda' drunk." Cloud said.

"Cloud…we haven't had sex in two weeks…I'm fucking you sober tonight." Tifa said still looking at the menu.

"It's 5:45 in the evening! Tifa, if you can't drink four beers and sober up by 9:00 then…well I'm going to call you a lightweight. Why haven't you had sex with me in two weeks?" Cloud questioned her.

"Because you were gone at that meeting for four days, then I worked late five days straight. That's a total of nine days. Then, Denzel had soccer practice until 8:30 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday you worked later than usual and I ran errands that evening to get ready for Yuffie today which is Friday. And here we are, right now." Tifa said. Cloud had the most peculiar of looks on his face.

"What, do you like have a calendar or something? Because that was insanely precise." Cloud asked.

"No, no. No calendar. It's just that once you get in the habit of _some things_…it's very hard to go without them." Tifa said.

"I'll take you home sore tomorrow and that will make up for lost time. The last thing you will want to do is spread your legs on a bike….there's a waiter right behind me isn't there?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah." Tifa said.

"He's coming to our table isn't he? He probably just overheard me talking about taking you home sore…just tell him I'm already a little drunk." Cloud said shifting his eyes into the menu.


	4. They Tell Me Everything

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Tifa said as she stood at the top of the water tower looking over the town she and Cloud once called home.

"I can't believe they actually let people climb up this _new_ water tower…it was better back when you weren't _supposed_ to be climbing on the water tower and you could always find a used condom somewhere around it. God, now it's….it's just good clean fun, Tifa. That's just not right! This new tower isn't the same." Cloud complained.

"The view is the same." Tifa said as she sat down in front of Cloud. She pushed herself back against him so that she was situated between his legs. Cloud thought about that for a moment as put his arms around Tifa.

"It is the same, isn't it?" Cloud asked. He didn't really want an answer from her; he was just agreeing with her because it was true. These Nibelheim mountains would never change no matter how many water towers this town had to rebuild. Tifa let her head rest against Cloud.

"Do you want to go to the reactor site?" Tifa asked.

"No. I want to sit right here with you." Cloud said. The air around them was growing cooler as the sun dipped lower on the horizon. There was something about the scent of the open fires and the pines that calmed Cloud. Not that he needed calming at this point...there was just something relaxing about it. "You know, I promised to protect you…right here…I didn't do it."

"Cloud…" Tifa put her hands on his, interlacing her fingers with his.

"I have the rest of my life to make it up to you though." Cloud said.

"Cloud…protecting our children is the same as protecting me…and you sure as hell protected them today." Tifa laughed. "Don't be so hard on yourself, baby. I love you."

"Maybe this time I can make you a promise I can actually keep…" Cloud said.

"You don't need to make any promise in the world to me, Cloud. You've spent your whole life trying to live up to promises. It's time to take a break." Tifa said. She felt soft lips on her neck.

"You're the only woman in the world who would say something like that." Cloud said.

"Well, I think you deserve a break at this point." Tifa said as she looked to the sky. The daylight was fading fast and they could hear the laughter and conversations of others who had climbed the water tower to get this marvelous view of the town. Cloud kissed her neck again.

"What would I do without you?" Again, he didn't really want an answer…he was just thinking out loud.

"Without me…you may actually get dibs on the shower for once, Cloud." Tifa said pulling his arms tighter around her.

"Oh my god…I so would. I also wouldn't get yelled at for leaving towels on the floor." Cloud said.

"I don't _yell_….I remind you to pick them up…in a slightly elevated voice." Tifa said laughing at herself.

"What's worse is that you have Marlene trained to scour our apartment for any unattended towels on the floor. She's like your little towel bloodhound. Me and Denzel aren't safe anymore." Cloud said.

"Oh, you have it so hard; you poor, poor thing." Tifa said sarcastically as she pushed herself closer into Cloud.

"It's almost dark. You want to go back to the room? I know it's early, but it might be nice to lay there in bed with the window open." Cloud said.

"Yes, yes. Let's go. I'm relaxed anyway." Tifa said as she slowly pulled herself to her feet. She pulled Cloud up behind her. They made their way back down the water tower once more.

"You're cold aren't you?" Cloud asked.

"I am but it's a good kind of cold. The kind where you know you can curl up with a blanket and be just fine." Tifa said.

"You know what would be better? If you just curl up with me." Cloud said.

"You can count on that." Tifa insisted. It wouldn't be a long ride back to the inn. In fact, they probably could have walked to the water tower but why do that when it would have meant making two trips: one to take the bike back to the inn and then backtracking by foot to the water tower. The wind was downright cold on the short ride to the inn's parking lot. Despite the day's events, this was a peaceful night. It was quiet and the constant buzz of Midgar traffic didn't fill the air the way it did at home. It was a welcome change. Once inside the inn, the fire could be seen still burning in the fireplace of the lobby. They made their way up the stairs and back to their room. Tifa looked at the clock: 8:51. She walked over to the window and pulled up a chair. She leaned forward and folded her arms on the pane as she looked out over the street before her. A few of the street lights had just started to flicker on.

"I'm taking a shower." Cloud said putting his keys, wallet and phone on the desk near the door. He searched their duffle bag until he found the clothes he wanted.

"Don't put your towel on the floor." Tifa teased him. "I'll go after you." Tifa turned the television on to see if the local news had anything worth listening to while she stared out the window. The crickets chirped in the distance, serenading mountains and evergreens. Tifa could feel herself chill a bit as the breeze played in the long curtains. She decided to finally take her sweater coat off for the first time since she had put it on for this trip. She hung it on the back of the desk chair as she heard the water turn off. Cloud had the right idea; a warm shower would be nice. It would warm her up for the moment but then the chill of the room would make her cold again…but that's when she anticipated retreating under the covers with him.

"Will you put my phone on the charger?" Tifa asked as she traded him places.

"Where's the charger?" he asked her.

"It's it my…oooooh you did this on purpose…it's in my purse! You know, it's an inn towel so it doesn't affect me as much." Tifa said stepping right into the middle of a towel on the floor. Cloud laughed at her as he dug around through her purse. Finding the charger was the easy part. Finding a wall outlet too a bit of creative effort. Once Cloud had her phone charging, he walked over to the window beside their bed. He could see the stars that dotted the night sky…you couldn't see those in Midgar for all the lights. Cloud thought it was in fact a bit on the cool side as the night air rushed through their window. "Tifa, they even have lights on the water tower after dark. What's up with that? It's like the town doesn't _want_ anyone having any sex on or around that thing." Cloud said as he heard Tifa getting out of the shower.

"Cloud….Nibelheim is known for its mountains and the Shin-Ra mansion. Their motto is not 'Nibelheim: where you can have sex on or around our water tower.'" Tifa said.

"Well, they should change it to that…they would have more tourists…and…maybe a lawsuit or two." Cloud said watching the sights down the main roads. He turned away from the window and turned the lamp off on the desk before pulling the heavy blanket down on their bed. His phone rang from the desk across the room. "Hey, will you get that?" Cloud asked pulling the covers up around him. Tifa turned the bathroom light out and hurried over to the desk to grab his phone before the voicemail picked up.

"Hi there!" she answered it excitedly. She could see by the caller ID that it was Yuffie. "Hold on I'm putting you on speaker." Tifa said switching her over and laying the phone on Cloud as she curled up half on him, half beside him...but mostly on him. "Okay, there we go. Hi!" Tifa said.

"Hey, we got in about thirty minutes ago." Yuffie said.

"Did you all have fun?" Tifa asked.

"Oh god, we had a great time. We are all exhausted! I have more pictures to send you. Jun took the pictures and I got abused and bruised by waves and from crashing into the sides of things. I mean seriously, you should see my sides!" Yuffie said.

"Did we leave you enough money?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah, totally. I put your change on your counter. We went to this crazy awesome buffet. I swear, I think the place _lost_ money on us." Yuffie said. "Do you want me to send the pictures to your phone or Cloud's?"

"Send them to his, mine's charging and we want to see them." Tifa said.

"Where is Cloud?" Yuffie asked.

"Underneath me." Tifa answered her.

"Oh my god! And your answered the phone!" Yuffie asked mortified.

"He's not under me like _that_…yet!" Tifa insisted. "So, were they okay for you today?"

"You always ask that when they do stuff with me! Of course they were okay. They are _always_ okay. Marlene and Denzel are the best kids ever! They are like those kids that every parent wishes they had when their own kids are crazy acting. By the way, your new floors look great. Jun thinks you have a cool place here."

"I can't believe her boyfriend's name is Jun…what the hell kind of name is that?" Cloud said out loud.

"Thanks. They are coming back next week to do the hall and our room so that's why things are so messy looking." Tifa explained.

"So, did you have a nice visit with your dad today?" Yuffie wondered.

"Not at all. It went horribly to tell you the truth. He said some awful things. Cloud and I left and I don't care when I hear from him again." Tifa said.

"My god it must have been bad. I'm sorry to hear that." Yuffie said. "I'm sending you a picture right now. Is it okay if Jun parks his car under that back overhang? Will he get towed or anything?"

"No it should be fine." Tifa said.

"You tell her he cannot spend the night there!" Cloud reminded Tifa. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Where are Marlene and Denzel?" Tifa asked.

"Denzel is hanging up wet clothes and Marlene is washing her hair out. I didn't think she should go to bed tonight with that much chlorine in her hair." Yuffie said.

"Have they missed us?" Tifa asked.

"Hell no they haven't missed you! They don't care when you come back. I already promised them we'd go rent some movies and make homemade pizza tomorrow afternoon. And don't worry I'm going to do their homework with them tomorrow too. Oh! I've got to tell you about this! I swear, Tifa Marlene may be Dyne and Eleanor's but today I said something about Jun taking the wrong exit and of course he got his pants in a knot because he misread the directions. She sticks her head between the seat and says 'And you're upset about this because…?' Tifa, I laughed so hard because she looked and sounded just like you when she said it."

"Oh god, the world does not have room for two Tifas." Cloud said knowing that Yuffie wouldn't hear him. Tifa laughed at her.

"It was also hilarious when we paid with cash tonight at dinner. Denzel looks at me counting change out and he says 'you know you can get two percent cash back if you put that on your card?' And once again, I laughed my ass off because I was thinking to myself god this kid is ten years old, nearly eleven, and Cloud has already taught him to pay with plastic." Yuffie said.

"Hey! You DO get two percent cash back, Yuffie! You need to listen to Denzel." Cloud said loud enough for her to hear.

"Oh god Cloud, it was so funny. Hey do you realize he's going to be as tall as you in no time? He _will_ outgrow you." Yuffie said.

"Shut up, Yuffie." Cloud said.

"Seriously! He's close to wearing your clothes now." Yuffie said.

"Shut up Yuffie." Cloud told her again.

" Awww, I love hitting you where it hurts the most! Its okay Cloud we still like you even though you're nowhere close to clearing six feet. Hey, here comes Denzel now. Do either of you want to talk to him?" Yuffie asked.

"Yeah, put him on." Cloud said. Yuffie handed the phone over to Denzel.

"Hi!" Denzel said.

"Hey, did you have fun today?" Cloud asked.

"Yes! Guess what? Aunt Yuffie's boyfriend is a really good swimmer." Denzel said.

"He is, huh? Is he still there?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, he's here." Denzel answered.

"So, what's he like? I haven't met him yet." Cloud asked Denzel. Tifa shook her head and laid on Cloud's stomach.

"He's nice and he's really cool!" Denzel said.

"Is he cooler than I am?" Cloud asked.

"Cloud! You're not cool!" Denzel laughed. Tifa thought this was too funny.

"What the…oooh come on Denzel. Is Marlene there?" Cloud asked.

"She just came in the room." Denzel said.

"Okay, put her on for a minute." Cloud said.

"Hi. Did you have fun today?" Cloud asked her.

"Yes! We had soooo much fun. Aunt Yuffie is always so funny. Her boyfriend, Jun went on like every slide with us today; especially the big ones." Marlene said.

"So, what's he like? I haven't met him yet?" Cloud repeated to Marlene.

"Oh Cloud…" Tifa mumbled.

"He's a lot of fun. I like him. I told Aunt Yuffie he's a keeper." Marlene laughed.

"You did _not_ say that to her." Cloud said. "So is he hot?"

"Cloud, you can totally not be a twelve-year-old girl." Tifa said.

"Yeah, he's pretty hot." Marlene answered honestly.

"Is he hotter than I am?" Cloud asked. Marlene laughed.

"You're not hot!" she said.

"Wow…I can't catch a break with you two." Cloud said. "I didn't really want anything else so I'll let you go."

"Okay, love you." Marlene said.

"We love you too, sweetie." Tifa said.

"Alright, so we'll see you all sometime tomorrow?" Yuffie asked.

"You can't sleep with your boyfriend in my bed!" Cloud adamantly told Yuffie.

"Ignore him…we don't plan on leaving here any time at all before 10:00 tomorrow." Tifa said.

"Well, we'll be here. Whenever, it doesn't matter. We have fun together." Yuffie said.

"Hey! Marlene and Denzel don't know me and Tifa are sleeping together let alone you two." Cloud insisted still stuck on the fact that Yuffie's boyfriend was in the apartment.

"Oh my god, Cloud! Yes they do know that! They aren't five! And Jun is leaving at 10:00." Yuffie said.

"Wait, wait…wait…there is no way they could know that…is there?" Cloud asked suddenly very concerned for this. Yuffie sighed.

"I can prove it right now, Cloud! I'm Aunt Yuffie! Marlene and Denzel tell me _everything_. Hold on I'll get Marlene…" Cloud cut Yuffie off.

"No, no, no. Don't prove it to me. Let me live in denial and pretend my kids don't know. When I come to terms with thisI _will _be asking you how they know." Cloud said.

"Oh it's a great story! Anyway, see you all tomorrow." Yuffie said.

"Bye, Yuffie!" Tifa and Cloud said as he hung up the phone. Tifa laughed and snuck her hands around Cloud's waist. "You know, Yuffie has really mellowed out since she has a boyfriend."

"Tifa, everyone mellows out after they sleep with someone." Cloud said. She pushed her hands up his body and put the phone over on the nightstand. Tifa pulled her body over Cloud's and moved her hands to his shoulders.

"You don't even know that Yuffie _is_ sleeping with him. But our kids know that you're sleeping with me." Tifa said.

"Did you hear how calm she was! She didn't even talk about materia! She is soooo getting some. And how could they know! How on earth could Marlene and Denzel know!"

"Well, Yuffie is right about one thing…they aren't five. Don't worry…they won't have a clue as to what I'm going to do to you tonight." Tifa said letting her lips sink into his.


	5. Just Want to Smell You

The absolute best thing about fucking the same woman over and over again was having her body memorized. There was no guesswork nor was there anything to learn. Cloud knew exactly how to drive Tifa crazy. He knew what she wanted, how she wanted it, how much she could handle and how to get her to come every…time. It was the comfort and security of married couple sex with the untamed, raw heat of passionate lovers. Tifa dug her fingers hard into Cloud's shoulders. There was no greater turn-on than when the woman you loved arched her back and cried out your name. Tifa's voice was airy and laced with desire. She could feel Cloud's breath in her face.

"Cloud…oooooh…Cloud…Cl…Clou…oooooh god…oooooh god." she panted. One thing was certain; Tifa was anything but cold. Cloud pushed her legs farther apart and felt himself lose his breath a little. He let his hands roam her body, squeezing her breasts, letting his tongue caress hard nipples. Tifa gasped intensely as she felt Cloud sink his teeth into her shoulder…or perhaps it was because she felt him push deeper into her. Tifa didn't worry about moving her hips with Cloud…she didn't need to with the force that he shoved his own hips into her. "Harder…harder…ooooh god… harder…" Tifa begged. Tifa could take a beating in more ways than one. She wanted Cloud to beat and abuse her like this all night.

"Hol…god…hold on to me." Cloud's eyes were full of lust for her. It wasn't an unfamiliar look to her. Tifa slinked her hands down Cloud's body until they came to rest on his hips. This could only mean that things were about to get rough. Tifa could feel tender blond hair on her face.

"Cloud…" Tifa whispered.

"You like it…I can tell." Cloud's words were hungry and heavy.

"You're wrong baby…I love it." Tifa's words were animal in nature as she pulled Cloud hard against her. He panted in near unison with her; feeling the hot moisture in her thighs against him. Tifa moved her hands farther up Cloud's back in order to hold on to him tighter. She whimpered softly as her body writhed against him.

"Is that…too hard?" Cloud asked her weakly.

"I don't care…" Was Tifa's hushed answer as she moaned into his neck. The truth of the matter was that her thighs _were_ aching and it _was_ too hard but she wanted it that way. She loved the way Cloud had her legs pinned open and she knew this was going to end in a good, hot mess. Cold night air hit Cloud's back but he didn't seem to mind. He also didn't give a shit that Tifa was _probably_ a little loud for an open window. It was hard to focus on anything but her at this point. The way her body swallowed him up, the way she was in perfect rhythm with him; it was apparent that she knew his every move before it happened. It wasn't mundane and it sure as hell wasn't boring…it was magic. Being able to read to the man you loved like that; being able to respond so passionately…that was the stuff commitment was made of.

Call it submission; or whatever you want to call it but Tifa liked Cloud on top of her. She felt…a strange sense of security. Not to mention, she had confessed to him earlier tonight that she was downright lazy and refused to do _any_ of the work. That was okay, though. She had Cloud trained to jump when she said jump. Neither Cloud nor Tifa would _ever_ admit to anyone that Tifa wore the pants in their house…but it was understood and frankly, Cloud wanted it that way. Therefore, if Tifa said he was on top…so be it. There was safety in predictability and Tifa provided that. If anyone needed predictability in his life; it was Cloud.

TIfa held on to him tighter, wrapping her arms completely around his back. Her hands were hot on his cool skin. This wasn't going to last much longer. Sure, Cloud had the stamina of a freaking race horse; but eventually both he and Tifa gave in. "Hold on….hold on…ooooh god…hold on…" Cloud repeated to her. She knew that look; the way he would close those blue eyes as tightly as he could…the way he clenched his teeth hard before letting his mouth fall open in a heated sigh. He nearly always came before she did. However, Tifa was never far behind him. She tilted her head backwards and raked her hands down Cloud's back.

"Baby yes…yes…yes…" Tifa squeezed Cloud tightly against her as her body gave in to sweet pleasure. He still managed to hold himself up on strong arms, careful to not let the entire weight of him collapse onto her. Cloud looked at Tifa as the street light from outside circled her face. She always looked so frail and vulnerable right after she climaxed. He moved one hand to the side of her face and the other hand to her collar bone.

"You're so beautiful when you come." Cloud whispered to her.

"You're the only one who makes it happen. Lay down with me." Tifa said wanting him to lay on her. Now she could let her fingers play in soft blond tresses. "Do you know how good that was?" Tifa asked her voice still weak. She closed her eyes as her body still surged all over.

"I do know." Cloud answered her. They laid there with only the sounds of the occasional passing car and the drapes fluttering lightly against the window frame. The scents of Nibelheim poured through the window as this autumn night wrapped its essence around them. Tifa's fingers in Cloud's hair probably could have put him to sleep. Her holding him this way was just another subtle sign that she was in charge…yet at the same time…the tighter she held him, the safer she was. "Tifa?" Cloud had question in his voice.

"What baby?' she asked him.

"How long has it been this cold in here?" Cloud asked. Tifa couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't know. I've been under you." Tifa answered him.

"Should I close this window?" Cloud asked her not really offering to move at all.

"No, no. Leave it open. That's why there are two blankets on this bed. Here….move." Tifa said rubbing the middle of his back. Cloud slowly rolled over beside her. Tifa tugged on the blankets that were in a clump toward the bottom of their bed. She pulled them up around her and Cloud and put her arms around him. "See? Isn't that better?" she asked him situating her body close to him.

"It is better. Do you think we're even supposed to have that window open?" Cloud asked pulling Tifa's back up against him and throwing one arm over her.

"I don't know, but we'll pretend like its fine even if it isn't." Tifa said. Her eyes were becoming heavy. She could feel Cloud's breath on the back of her neck. Cloud could finally feel his heart begin to slow down to its normal pace once more.

"Your hair smells like grapefruit." Cloud said moving closer to her on the pillow.

"Mmm hmm." Tifa mumbled.

"You know what that smell reminds me of?" Cloud asked her.

"What?" Tifa wondered curiously.

"When you, me, Marlene and Denzel watched the fireworks from our balcony. Your hair smelled like this." Cloud said thinking back to that night. "You were sitting on my lap and Marlene and Denzel were at that round table eating cheeseburgers and chips.. I could see the tan lines on your shoulders. Marlene and Denzel sat under that blanket from the couch when the fireworks started that night. They loved watching the really big ones go off. The mosquitoes were bad that night because of that damn light on the corner of the building. You were wearing a pale blue bra. I kept putting my fingers under the straps and pulling them away from your skin. It was easy to put my chin on your neck." Cloud finished. Tifa squirmed around and faced him in the darkness.

"Why do you remember that night so well?" she asked.

"I don't really know. It was…it was a wonderful night. We were all just there together. Marlene and Denzel were so captivated. You were so sexy…I just wanted to smell you. Kind of like right now; I just want to smell you." Cloud said. Tifa rolled back over and Cloud buried his face in her hair. Tifa sighed.

"You know what I remember?" Tifa asked.

"Tell me." Cloud said into her hair, wrapping his arm around her again.

"I was working late and I came in at 12:45. You had put the kids to bed and you were asleep on the couch. The lamp was on and you had been reading that true crime book. The TV was on but I could barely hear it. I sat my purse down on the counter as quietly as I could and walked over to you. You looked so, so peaceful. You were wearing that navy shirt; the really soft v-neck one. You're so hard not to touch when you wear that so I put my hand on your cheek. You opened your eyes, looked at me, and you smiled. You looked as if nothing in the world could disturb your contented state. Then…finally you said...'you're home.'" Tifa laughed. "It was like you had been rehearsing it in your sleep. After that you kissed me…I don't know why I remember that so well." Tifa said. Cloud moved in tighter against her.

This was one of those nights that you wished would last forever and in its own strange way…it would. There was nothing but silence around them as Cloud and Tifa laid there in the darkness. Tifa's eyes grew heavier as the warmth underneath the heavy blanket soothed her. "Cloud?" she said finally. She didn't get an answer. She turned her head just enough to see the pale streetlight on his face. "Goodnight." She said mostly to herself, her voice above a whisper.


	6. Tifa Lockhart Strife

Cold mountain air rushed through the window. Perhaps it had been kind of stupid to leave the window open all night. Tifa had woken up freezing at 5:00 that morning. For whatever reason, she rolled over toward Cloud and whispered 'I'm cold, baby'. She didn't remember if he had asked her if she was cold or what. But, she did remember pulling Cloud on top of her, coming very fast, very hard and falling asleep in his arms before the clock read 5:07. The time was now 8:15 AM and Tifa was barely awake. It was warm and cozy under the heavy blankets. Tifa could hear Cloud move behind her.

"Good morning." Cloud mumbled before kissing her neck and letting his warm skin rub against hers.

"Mmmm." Tifa responded still barely awake. The feeling of soft lips on her neck made her shudder all over.

"Your skin is so smooth." Cloud said softly; running his hand down her leg and up the inside of her thigh. Tifa hummed in approval again. They were so comfortable and snug. Tifa sighed contently as Cloud's lips caressed her neck. This autumn morning could not have gotten any more peaceful. Fog clung to the mountains in the distance but neither Cloud nor Tifa were aware of the beautiful morning outside. "Why don't we always lay in bed like this in the morning?" Cloud asked.

"Because you and I get up at 6:30 and we have to get the kids up at 6:45 and off to the bus stop by 7:30. We _never_ have time to lay like this." Tifa mumbled.

"We need to have more mornings where you and I lay in bed like this." Cloud looked over Tifa's shoulder quickly before pressing his lips into her neck again. "My god Tifa, its 8:19 and we're still in bed. This is…god this is wonderful." Cloud buried his face in the pillow beside her and hugged Tifa closer to him.

"It's hard to believe that the whole reason we came here was to see my dad. Funny, I remember all the hot sex and none of my angry dad. That's the way it should be, right?" Tifa asked waking up a little more.

"Yes, yes…that's the way it should be." Cloud reassured her. "I'm hungry…what do you want to do for breakfast?"

"I want…I want a good breakfast. No toast, no cereal, no pop-tarts…nothing either of us would normally eat. I want a breakfast with some substance." Tifa said.

"That does sound good. This is going to require us to get up." Cloud said. Tifa whined about that a bit but rolled over to face Cloud.

"Does this place have room service?" Tifa asked.

"Oh my god, you're a genius. We will order room service. Shit, I bet they have a great menu. This is Nibelheim…people still cook with real ingredients here." Cloud said not volunteering to move…

"So where's the menu?" Cloud asked her.

"Across the cold room beside the TV." Tifa said.

"Damn…that means one of us has to freeze in order to get it." Cloud said.

"It sure does." Tifa said pretty much indicating that Cloud would be the one getting this menu.

"See, its times like this that we need the kids. I would make Denzel go get it." Cloud said. Tifa laughed at him.

"You would not! You would get it yourself because you wouldn't want him to get cold." Tifa said.

"Yeah, you're right. Hey, if you go get the menu I can watch you be naked." Cloud said. TIfa looked at him.

"_That's_ your selling point? If _I_ get the menu you get to watch me be naked?" Tifa questioned.

"Well, yeah. Everybody wins, Tifa." Cloud said. Tifa just stared at him.

"You're…not going to let me watch you be naked are you?" he asked.

"No…but I'm going to watch you be naked." Tifa said winking at him. Cloud sighed and smiled at her.

"This is proof of how much I love you." Cloud said pulling himself out of the cocoon of blankets he had made with Tifa. "Oooooh shit this room is cold!" Cloud observed as her hurried to the stupid table beside the TV to get the menu. He rushed back across the room just as quickly and dove in the bed next to her. Tifa laughed and threw her body over Cloud; feeling the coldness of his skin against her.

"Oooh my god, okay…had you told me you were going to climb on top of me like this, getting this menu would have been much easier." Cloud said putting an arm around her.

"I'm full of surprises." Tifa said moving beside Cloud once more so they could examine the room service menu. "Cinnamon pancakes! Are you kidding me? I want that! Oooh wait…no I want the bacon...all of it. Oh my god they have an entire section dedicated to omelets!" Tifa noticed knowing good and well her eyes were bigger than her stomach.

"I think we should get like… two of these huge platter things and split them." Cloud said.

"I like that idea…keep talking." Tifa said.

"We can get the pancake platter and the egg platter…ooooh and we can get a pitcher of orange juice and a carafe of coffee. Oh my god Tifa, this is going to be the best breakfast you and I have ever had." Cloud said.

"Yes! It's perfect but we need to get the biscuits and gravy on the side." Tifa insisted.

"Alright. I'm going to call this in right now." Cloud said reaching for the phone." Within minutes their perfect breakfast was ordered. "You know, we're going to have to get dressed before that food arrives."

"How long until they deliver?" Tifa asked.

"About 20 minutes." Cloud answered her. "Should we call home and see if Yuffie and her boyfriend have been having sex in our bed? I swear Tifa if they have been…" Tifa cut him off.

"He didn't spend the night and they aren't having sex!" she insisted.

"When we get home, if you ask Yuffie if she's screwing her boyfriend I'll ask her how the kids know about me screwing you." Cloud said.

"Alright, I'll ask her." Tifa said wiggling around and sitting up in the bed. She still had the covers pulled up around her.

"Very well. It's settled then. Oh god…I dread what Yuffie tells me." Cloud said. Tifa let the air rushing in from the windows invade her senses.

"Can you smell that?" she asked.

"Mmm…smells like fall." Cloud answered her.

"It does." Tifa said. "So, since you got the menu I feel a little guilty…so I'm going to get our clothes. What would you like?" Tifa said rolling away from the warm spot in their bed and standing up only to be surrounded by cold air.

"Just get me that Sherpa hooded sweatshirt and those jeans. Oh, and there should be a gray t-shirt over there too…on top of those boxers maybe." Cloud said. Tifa shivered as she grabbed his cold pile of clothes. She had to dig around in the duffle bag for her own.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm closing the window. I want to eat breakfast warm." Tifa said hurrying back towards their bed only to flop their clothes in a pile as she reached with chilled hands for the window.

"Turn the TV on and see what the temperature is." Cloud said reaching toward the bottom of their bed for anything he could get his hands on.

"Let me get dressed first." Tifa said reaching for the layers of clothes she intended to pile on to herself. Cloud was dressed before she was. He got up and turned on the TV to see the weather for that morning. He also pulled Tifa's cell phone off the charger where he had left it the night before.

"You have a missed call from your dad. He must have called while it was charging. He left a voicemail." Cloud said.

"You can listen to it if you want but I don't care to hear it." Tifa said.

"I'll just delete it. Listen, I'm going to go downstairs and get us late checkout because let's face it; we will not be out of here before the 10:30 checkout time. It's totally stupid to have a checkout time that early anyway." Cloud said.

"Well, it's not like we're at a resort hotel…this is a two story twenty-room inn." Tifa said.

"Yeah, you're right. I should be back before our breakfast is delivered." Cloud said grabbing his wallet before disappearing out the door. Tifa decided to call home and check in on things while he was downstairs.

"Hi! What can I do for you?" the young woman behind the desk asked Cloud.

"Good morning. I need late checkout today if that's alright." He requested of her.

"Okay, that's no problem. What's the name?" she asked. Cloud told her but he hadn't expected her next remark.

"Are you alone?" she asked him.

"What?" he asked a bit confused.

"Are you traveling alone?" she repeated.

"Um…no…why?" Cloud wondered. The woman smiled.

"Well it's just that…you're too good-looking to be traveling alone. Have you had breakfast? Do you want some company? I can get you anything you want for free and I'll join you right over there by the fireplace." The woman said. Cloud had a very serious look on his face.

"I told you…I'm not here alone." Cloud said.

"Oh…then who are you with?" the woman asked him rather disappointed. Cloud looked at her intently.

"My wife." He didn't even stutter, didn't hesitate…it just came out that way.

"Hm…I don't see a ring on your finger. You must be one hell of a husband." She said sarcastically.

"Thanks for the late checkout." Cloud said as he quickly left to get back upstairs before this situation made him any more uncomfortable.

"It sounds like you are having a good morning. Me and Cloud will be leaving sometime before noon today so we should be about around 3:30 or so. Listen, Cloud just walked in the door and he looks overly dramatic right now so I'll talk to you later." Tifa said hanging up the phone.

"What? Did they charge us for late checkout?" Tifa asked putting her phone into her purse. Cloud shook his head and stood there, his eyebrows narrowed. Tifa walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Cloud finally looked at her. "I…we…we need to make this official." Cloud said.

"What are you talking about?" Tifa asked.

"You and me...we're husband and wife but yet we never, ever say it out loud. We're married but we've never use that word and we've done nothing to make it so." Cloud said.

"Cloud…this works for us. What happened downstairs?" Tifa asked walking him over to the edge of their bed. Hell, he had only been gone for three minutes at the most!

"People think you aren't committed to anyone or anything when you don't have a ring on your finger to prove it. When we get home, let's just go to the courthouse Monday and sign the papers. There's no reason for us to not sign a marriage license." Cloud said.

"You're serious about this aren't you?" Tifa asked.

"Yes, yes I am. The woman downstairs…I'll tell you over breakfast. Maybe it's good how it happened because it finally got me to talk to you. So what do you think?" Cloud asked her. Tifa put her arms around him. The truth was she didn't give a shit if they ever got married…she didn't need that from him. It seemed to be more of an issue for Cloud than her. So this was no big deal. Hell, go to the courthouse and wait in line forever and slap her signature on a couple papers. They both had a very casual attitude about it even though Cloud was a little more worked up than he perhaps should have been. This wasn't one of his normal overly-sensitive moments that he lapsed into…she could tell by the tone in his voice he had been thinking about this for a long time. Whatever had happened downstairs had merely been a catalyst to the events that were happening right now. This was the second catalytic event of the weekend.

Marriage was such a strong and traditional word. Tifa felt like she and Cloud were anything but traditional. She knew Cloud was right…they _were_ married…but neither of them had ever confronted that idea. Tifa realized she hadn't really given him an answer. What was she going to say, no I'm not going to officially marry you I'm just going to live with you? Of course not, she knew that look; that look on his face that that said 'someone just turned my world upside down please fix it'. One thing was certain about Cloud, despite his tough exterior shell…he was so easy to shatter. Absolutely anyone could break his heart one way or another. Tifa could always tell when someone had gotten to him…and someone obviously had. But he wasn't over-reacting either…he _was_ serious about this.

"I can go in to work late Monday, say…6:00 or something. You know how the lines get backed up down there at the courthouse." Tifa said. It wasn't like they were _getting _married…they were just making it legal. In fact, no one would have to know about it…except for Marlene and Denzel. They would treat this like a stop in between going to the grocery store and going to the bank. If this were a to do list it would read 'bread, go to courthouse and legally marry, withdraw 300 gil'. Neither of them would have wanted this to be made a big deal of. There was a knock at the door. That seemed to break Cloud out of his serious state.

"That's our amazing breakfast." Cloud said.

"Do we need to pay him now?" Tifa said walking over to the table to get her purse.

"No, no. I'll tell them to put it on our tab." Cloud said opening the door.

"Here at least give him a tip." Tifa said.

"Oh my god, Tifa! That much!" Cloud asked rather surprised by what she had handed him.

"Cloud, the door is open!" she scolded him.

"Put like…half of that back." Cloud said as softly as he could. Tifa shoved the wad of money into Cloud's hand before he could challenge her any further on this matter. Cloud closed the door and they both went over to the table ready to get into this divine breakfast.

"My god, this looks so good." Tifa said sitting down and removing the covers that were over their food. "So, what's next? Are you going to tell me we have to buy a minivan with a DVD player in the back of it and get a bumper sticker that says 'my child is an honor roll student'? because _that_….is something I won't do. Cloud, we can make this as legal as you want to make it but I will never be a mom in a minivan." Tifa said. Cloud gasped.

"Tifa Lockhart-Strife! It's a piece of paper with a notary stamp on it…my god we aren't 40. Being legally married isn't scary…but my god a minivan is terrifying. I love you, Tifa. I would never do that to you." Cloud said. Tifa laughed at him.

"So are you going to tell me what happened downstairs that lead to all of this or what?"

"Yeah, of course. But right now I'm sidetracked by maple syrup." Cloud said. Tifa laughed at him again.

"You know we really should have registered….we're going to get crappy shit we don't want like a toaster or a set of crystal goblets we'll never fucking use." Tifa said sarcastically and kind of making fun of every other person she and Cloud had ever known that got married and _they_ had to buy some stupid gift for. Shit, there would be none of this registering crap…that was for the couples who didn't already have all their shit figured out in the first place.

"Who's going to throw my bachelor party?" Cloud said just as sarcastically.

"Don't worry Marlene will make you a grilled cheese sandwich and blue raspberry Kool-Aid and Denzel will call a stripper but then they'll find out he is 11 so that will get shot all to hell." Tifa said as dryly as she could. It was near impossible not to laugh.

"That's okay….you can do it instead. Besides, you do one hell of a good job." Cloud winked at her. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Maybe I will. Now, when we get home we can't say anything about signing any papers to Yuffie or she'll get all…well…Yuffie on us."

"We can tell her. She's sleeping with her boyfriend so she'll be mellow and nonchalant." Cloud said.

"Oh my god, are we back to this again?" she asked.

"See, since she's sleeping with her boyfriend we can tell her because she'll respond calmly and without excessive reaction." Cloud tried to convince Tifa. She sighed.

"You wear me out sometimes." Tifa said shaking her head.

"I wear you out _all_ the time." Cloud said. Tifa knew good and well what he meant.

"Shut up and eat your eggs." That was another way of saying 'I do.'


	7. Cloud was Right

"All ready to go?" Cloud asked Tifa as she closed the back compartment of the bike.

"Ready." She answered him. Cloud leaned her up against the side of the bike and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I love you." Was all Cloud said before kissing her. It was another one of those kisses that wasn't exactly meant for public but both of them hoped someone had seen it.

"It's going to be a cooler ride home today. It has to be at least ten degrees colder than it was when we came here." Cloud said digging around in his pocket for his phone. They were going to call home and tell Yuffie they were finally on their way home. Tifa climbed on behind Cloud and wrapped her arms around him. As they pulled out of the parking lot she didn't even mention her father; she hadn't even thought about him. However, before they left, Tifa dropped an envelope into one of the mailboxes in front of the inn. Inside had a piece of paper from the inn's memo pad and she had written: 'Daddy – I'm married. –Tifa.' She knew he wouldn't get it until the next business day and she knew the abruptness and conciseness of the note would upset him…she _wanted_ to upset him now.

It was somewhat disappointing to leave Nibelheim because the enchanted Autumn outweighed the negativity and criticism of Tifa's father. What had begun as a bad weekend had turned into one of the best. What better way now to spend a Saturday afternoon than driving home from Nibelheim in the serenity of the Autumn world around all around? It was perfect. As they drove away from town, Tifa watched as what was once called home faded away into the mountains. Even the water tower had slipped away into the rocky landscape. The smell of pine and mountain air surrounded Cloud and Tifa as they approached highway speed. She shivered as mountain air penetrated her layers of clothes. It was a perfect excuse to pull herself even closer to Cloud. She wished now that she would have brought her Sherpa fleece hoodie similar to the one she had packed for Cloud. This was certainly a colder ride home than either she or Cloud had anticipated.

They rode through the winding roads for at least an hour before the highway spitted them out to flatter roadways. It was a sure sign Midgar was only a couple more hours away. Sure both Cloud and Tifa were anxious to get back to Marlene and Denzel but at the same time they could have just driven all day. Yuffie had made it apparent that the kids didn't miss them. It seemed that Cloud and Tifa missed them more than they missed Cloud and Tifa being gone.

By 3:45 that day, Cloud and Tifa were in Midgar traffic once more. The sights and smells of the city had greeted them once again. The honking horns, waiting for pedestrians at the cross-walks, and the dodging of garbage trucks in the slow lane was a reality once again. Nibelheim was nothing like this. As Cloud looked around at the busy, bustling world he and Tifa called home he couldn't help but have a certain longing for the easy, laid back life of Nibelheim. He and Tifa loved Midgar and there was no way they would ever leave their comfortable life here…but being back in the middle of a metropolitan city made Cloud appreciate the country more.

Once through the traffic, Cloud turned down an alley that was a shortcut to the back of the bar where he always parked the bike. "We made it." He said to Tifa as he turned the key off and pulled it out of the ignition.

"We did." Tifa climbed off the bike behind Cloud and opened up the back hatch to get her purse and their duffle bag. Cloud waited on Tifa before going up the stairs first. He didn't even knock; it was his and Tifa's house after all.

"Hey, we're home!" Cloud announced as he walked through the door. Denzel came hurrying over to Cloud; happily throwing himself at Cloud.

"Hey! You're just in time! We were getting ready to put another movie in!" Yuffie said. "Cloud, this is my boyfriend Jun." Yuffie introduced him.

"Nice to meet you." Cloud said wrapping one arm around Denzel and one arm around Marlene who had put aside her giant bowl of popcorn in order to greet Cloud at the door.

"Hi, sweetie." Tifa said as she nearly tripped over Marlene coming through the door. Denzel let go of Cloud and focused his attention on Tifa.

"Tifa! Are you and Cloud going to watch the movie with us? We've already watched one movie with Aunt Yuffie! And guess what? There is leftover pizza in the fridge!" Denzel said latching on to Tifa.

"Well, honey your Aunt Yuffie might want leave soon. Maybe the four can watch it together." Tifa said pushing her fingers through Denzel's hair.

"Okay." Denzel said squeezing Tifa and then letting her go. Marlene hugged Tifa and whispered something about Yuffie's boyfriend to Tifa. Tifa laughed at her and patted Marlene on the back before Marlene ran back over to the couch to sit with Yuffie.

"You three sit tight. I'll be back in a minute." Yuffie said to Marlene, Denzel and Jun. She made sure the three of them remained on the couch while she followed Cloud and Tifa back to their bedroom where Tifa was going to unpack their duffle bag.

"Don't worry I did their homework with them this morning and gave Denzel his spelling words for the test he has Monday. Um…let's see…we went to the store and replenished your refrigerator with juice and bottled water because we went through a lot of it. There's plenty of leftover pizza if you two want some. Oh, and your bed is amazingly soft and comfortable! My god…I wish I had it in my apartment!" Yuffie said emphatically. "I almost forgot, those floor layers called and they will be here at 10:30 Monday morning to finish the hallway and this room. They had to push it back an hour."

"Did you have sex in my bed?" Cloud asked Yuffie out of nowhere.

"Cloud!" Tifa hit him in the arm.

"I'm sorry! I had to ask, I couldn't help it."

"What! No! I knew how weird about that kind of thing you would be. My god, I'm surprised you let me sleep in it overnight!" Yuffie insisted. Cloud gasped.

"So you _are_ sleeping with your boyfriend!" he knew he had an agreement that Tifa would ask Yuffie about that but Cloud couldn't stand it.

"Well, I am…but not in your house. So just relax, Cloud." Yuffie said.

"Oh my god! I was right! I was so right! What now Tifa? What now?" Cloud said as he grabbed her and tried his very best to tickle her. He knew how much she hated that. "Okay, now say…Cloud is number one in everything in life and is right about things that Yuffie does and every guy wants to be him because of his awesomeness! Say that, Tifa! Say it!" Cloud was a pro at annoying her when he wanted to. "Say it!" he said shaking her shoulders. Tifa sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Cloud is number one and guys want to do him or…something…I don't know what you rambled on about!" Tifa said as she squirmed free of his grasp. "Okay, listen…since Cloud just put you through all of that…we have to tell you something and you have to promise not to scream." Tifa said.

"I won't scream I promise! What are you going to tell me? Is it good? Is it about Cid since he's coming by tomorrow? Oh my god! Are you pregnant! You're pregnant aren't you!" Yuffie asked excitedly.

"No, no just listen…uh…me and Cloud…we're um…we're getting legally married Monday and…" Yuffie cut Tifa off.

"Oh my god! You're what! You're what! No way! You're lying you are not!" Yuffie kept her voice down as much as possible.

"Yuffie, listen…please. This is not a big deal, we're just going to the courthouse Monday and signing the papers but what we need is for you to go with us and attest." Tifa said.

"The justice of the peace signs it but they need another witness and we were hoping that you could come with us to sign." Cloud said.

"Are you kidding! I wouldn't miss this for the world! Hell yeah, I'll witness!" Yuffie shouted.

"Ssssshhhh!' Tifa scolded her to keep her voice down.

"But wait, wait…you say you're getting legally married…you mean you're not going to have a wedding?" Yuffie asked.

"Yuffie, it's not a big deal, it's not. We just want to sign the paper and get home before 6:00." Tifa said.

"Oh my god! You talk like this is just some everyday thing like….like taking Marlene to the dentist!" Yuffie said trying to keep her voice down.

"It's like this Yuffie…the jig is up…we have two kids, everyone we know already figures we're sleeping together and we've lived together for five months now. The word wedding seems completely ridiculous let alone going through with one." Tifa explained.

"Yeah that and we think the wedding industry makes too much money anyway." Cloud said throwing their duffle bag in the closet.

"At least let me take you two out for something to eat Monday. Are you going to tell Marlene and Denzel?" Yuffie wondered.

"We're going to tell them later and yes please take us somewhere." Cloud said.

"Okay, come on…let's get back to the kids and your boyfriend. We have something more important to discuss." Tifa said.

"You mean the Halloween party?" Yuffie asked.

"Yes." Tifa answered her. Before Cloud and Tifa had left for Nibelheim she and Yuffie had started planning a Halloween party. Nothing major. Just the kids, a couple of their friends, their parents, Cloud's associate at the business and now Yuffie's boyfriend. Yuffie opened the door of their bedroom and walked out first followed by Tifa and then Cloud.

"So what is the plan so far?" Yuffie asked.

"Well, they want to go trick or treating with you. They don't want me or Cloud to take them and this is Marlene's last year that she can go because of her age." Tifa explained.

"Okay, so I'll take them. What's on the menu?" Yuffie asked.

"Cloud is going to make ribs. I'm going to make a couple of deserts, a pasta salad, and of course we'll have lots of chips and stuff." Tifa said.

"Geez, this is going to be in like a week. And ribs, really?" Yuffie asked.

"Ribs and orange Kool-Aid Yuffie. Believe me, I've sat right here in this kitchen and watched Cloud and the kids put them away like nothing else. He's going to make like 30 racks for this party.

"Ask Denzel about how much he likes ribs sometime." Cloud told Yuffie.

"Cloud! Can we go riding later today?" Denzel asked of him.

"Sure we can go." Cloud said sitting on the couch with him.

"Alright, kiddos we're gonna' leave now that these two are back. Come give me a hug." Yuffie said to both Marlene and Denzel as she pulled her boyfriend off the couch.

"Thanks for taking us to the water park and staying with us Aunt Yuffie!" Marlene said jumping up and throwing her arms around Yuffie.

"You're welcome sweetheart. I'll see you again soon." Yuffie said hugging Marlene and Denzel at the same time.

"Thank you for being so good to them and staying here and all." Tifa said as she walked Yuffie and her boyfriend to the door.

"Hey, I love em' almost as much as you and Cloud do. Listen, call me. I'll drop off whatever you want next week for the party…oh…and I'll see you Monday at the courthouse." Yuffie said. Tifa smiled at Yuffie timidly before closing the door. She went over to the couch where Marlene. Denzel and Cloud were sitting.

"We'll go ride in a bit Denzel but um…me and Tifa have to tell you both something…" Cloud said. Tifa looked at him and took a deep nervous breath.

"Are we getting a dog!" Marlene asked excitedly.

"No, no honey we're not getting a dog." Tifa said reaching her arms out to Marlene. She couldn't help but smile at her. Now Cloud took a deep breath.

"What would you say…if I told you…that me and Tifa were getting married?" Cloud said. The looks on their faces said it all.


	8. The Feeling of Nibelheim

"Well Zack, I've been married for nearly two weeks. Can you believe it?" Cloud was sitting on the balcony of the apartment. The grill still smelled of the meat Cloud had cooked earlier that night. He was staring out over the Midgar streets. It was unusually busy tonight; likely because it was Halloween and there would be countless parties going on tonight; including the one in Cloud's apartment. Cloud kept taking his wedding band off and sliding it back on repeatedly. "I wish you could have seen Tifa. She was so... She wore this white sweater that she has with her dark jeans…she was the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. " Cloud laughed as he felt the beginnings of a tear in his eye.

"You don't really know Yuffie but she took us out for Mexican after we signed the license. Yuffie's funny. She ordered me and Tifa margaritas and insisted we drink them like we were 'just married.' I always thought you would be first…in everything for that matter. I always thought I'd be right there beside you at your wedding. You got those wings too early. It's…just not fair." Cloud sniffed a few times. "So what do you think? Your best friend is a married man with two kids. Who would have thought, huh? Well let me tell you Zack…there is no greater feeling in this world." Cloud dried his eyes.

"I wish you could have been at our party tonight. It was fun. Our house smells good tonight too. It's like a…cider smelling pumpkin scent. You would have been the life of the party and I can hear Aerith cautioning the kids to not eat too much candy." Cloud laughed as he dried his eyes again. "Me and Tifa let them eat as much as they want. In fact, Denzel the negotiator, is probably in there making some kind of elaborate trade with Marlene. I should probably go help Tifa clean up. Husbands do that, right?" Cloud heard the sliding glass door open behind him. Cloud squirmed around in his chair until he could see Tifa.

"Whew! It's cold out here!" Tifa said putting one arm around his shoulders. Cloud reached for her other arm and pulled her around on his lap. She kissed him.

"Thank you for making so many ribs. They were really delicious." Tifa said.

"Did you bring any of the candy out here? Marlene and Denzel got some good stuff." Cloud said. He had already been into it tonight.

"Cloud, eating four of the mini candy bars is the same as eating one regular size candy bar." Tifa said.

"Oh yeah? Well…well…whatever!" Cloud said flipping his hand out at Tifa in his second failed attempt at being a 13-year-old girl.

"It's okay baby. I've eaten 27 tootsie rolls tonight….27! That's not counting the ribs, the better than sex cake, and all the other food we had tonight." Tifa said.

"Why do they call it better than sex cake…it's not. I call it the cake that lies but is still delicious anyway." Cloud said. Tifa shook her head.

"I'm just thrilled that Yuffie made one of those things because they are so good…I'm not exactly thrilled that she told Marlene and Denzel what it was called." Tifa said.

"Oh my god, that was hilarious. That was absolutely hilarious. I can still see the look on Marlene's face when she said Aunt Yuffie, is it really better?" Cloud said.

"And I can still see the look on _your_ face when you screamed yes, yes Marlene it is! The cake is better than anything up to and including boys! My god if that wasn't unconvincing nothing is! Real smooth Cloud; real smooth." Tifa said.

"I didn't handle that all that well. Of course, I also can't handle the fact that Marlene is 12 going on 20. And can you believe that Marlene and Denzel figured out you and I were sleeping together at the beach? I could not believe that story when Yuffie told it." Cloud said. Tifa laughed. "Hey, and speaking of that trip…why didn't Marlene's little friend and her mom come by tonight?"

"Stella was at her dad's this weekend. I talked to her mom earlier tonight. Their divorce was finalized two weeks ago. I'm shocked it took that long but I guess it was a mess. Marlene is on the phone with Stella right now actually. Eliza, her mom…cried when I told her you and I got married. I felt so bad." Tifa said.

"Zack knows that we got married." Cloud said; his voice suddenly subdued. Tifa pulled his head over against her.

"I know he does, baby. Aerith does too." Tifa said.

"Yeah…she does too." Cloud said. "Of course, they are both pretty pissed that we didn't have a rehearsal dinner. Zack was going to start his toast with 'When I first met Cloud I seriously considered going blond'. Naturally, Aerith is all sad because she didn't get to put any flowers together for the occasion." Tifa laughed because it sounded so true.

"Hey, can you believe we didn't get any trick or treaters tonight?" Cloud asked.

"Yes…kids don't want to walk up two flights of stairs to get a chocolate disk. These kids just don't want to work for it anymore. But I'm glad, we got to spend that much more time with our guests." Tifa said.

"Well, I can't believe someone passed out apples tonight? Come on, who wants to get an apple on trick or treat night? I bet it was some lady in her early 50's…that seems like it fits the scenario." Cloud said.

"You are so mean." Tifa said laughing at him."

"_You're _not wearing a bra underneath that sweatshirt." Cloud said as he snuck cold hands up the back of her shirt.

"You're right, I'm not." Tifa winked at him.

"Is that your costume?" Cloud asked her.

"It might be…or…you never know I may have not even put _my_ costume on yet." Tifa said. It was enticing.

"Maybe you should. I'll help if you want." Cloud said.

"How much of a costume should I put on?" Tifa asked digging her fingers through blond hair.

"Not much of one." Cloud insisted.

"How about you come in and help me clean up the living room and the rest of the kitchen and I'll wear anything you want." Tifa said.

"You know, I would have helped you clean up inside anyway but now you've really got my mind thinking." Cloud said. Tifa stood up and pulled Cloud up with her.

"Hey, isn't it great that we finally got rid of the last two turtle babies?" Tifa said putting her arms around him.

"I love Yuffie's boyfriend for taking one and Denzel's friend for taking the last one. I'm so happy we are a one turtle family again." Cloud said. The Halloween chill was in the air tonight as Cloud held her against him. Both Cloud and Tifa were surprised that Marlene and Denzel were wide awake at 11:00 tonight. As they came back inside the apartment, there was obviously still a lot of work to do tonight before this place looked clean again. Denzel had done half of the dishes after the guests were gone. Marlene cleaned up their now hardwood covered floors with the duster that was kept in the hallway closet.

"Did you see the mail today?" Cloud asked Tifa as she started phase two of the dishes.

"Yeah. I saw it." Tifa said. She knew what Cloud was talking about.

"You going to open it?" Cloud asked her wiping off the now clear counter top. The apartment smelled so good; the scent of cider and pumpkin and cinnamon looming throughout the apartment. It was comforting to Cloud and it made him want to take Tifa in his arms and curl up with her on the couch. Once they went to bed tonight, they would watch every horror movie shown tonight and probably lay there awake until 3:00AM glued to the TV. There was something about tonight that reminded Cloud of the night they spent in Nibelheim…but he wasn't sure what it was.

"I don't think so. I don't care what he has to say." Tifa said. Explaining to Marlene and Denzel that their only 'grandfather' didn't want a thing to do with them hadn't been exactly easy for them. Sure they were disappointed that Tifa's father didn't want them in his life; but what they really cared about was having Cloud and Tifa in their lives…and they had that. In fact, Marlene and Denzel were quite lucky. Not only did they have parents who loved them, they had Yuffie who would give them anything in the world, and they had Cid…even though Cloud feared Cid would try and take Denzel to a strip club. On occasion, they had Vincent. Vincent was a little...intense but he was so smart and he was the best homework consultant there was. It was like having a private tutor without the 50 gil an hour price.

Cloud went down the hallway to Marlene's room. She had just put her pajamas on and was close to going to bed. Cloud tucked both her and Denzel in every night. Well, it wasn't_ really_ tucking them in…it was more so just talking to them as they climbed into bed. It was precious time and Cloud cherished it more than Marlene and Denzel would ever know.

"Are you sad that this was your last year to go trick or treating?" Cloud asked sitting on the end of her bed as she smashed her pillows with her fists to fluff them.

"A little…but I know that we'll do something fun next year. Like have another party with our friends, or maybe go to the Halloween dance at school! The 7th graders get to have a dance." Marlene said.

"Well that's not a good idea. See, dances mean there will be boys there…and slow songs…I don't like either of those things." Cloud said. Marlene laughed at him. "But you are right that we'll do something fun next year."

"Cloud? Preston Withup's mom just got married and they went on a honeymoon. They took a cruise and everything. Are you and Tifa going to have a honeymoon?" she asked. Cloud smiled at her.

"No, honey."

"I'm happy you married Tifa. She has your last name now." Marlene said pulling the covers up around her.

"She does doesn't she? I'm happy too. Listen, don't stay up too late tonight watching TV, okay?" Cloud leaned over and Marlene put her arms around his neck. "Good night, love you."

"I love you too!" Marlene let go of Cloud and he turned her light out before closing her door behind him. Cloud walked in to Denzel's room. His room looked like a tornado had gone through it.

"I'll clean my room tomorrow Cloud, I promise!" Denzel said. Cloud laughed.

"It's okay. You've had a big night tonight. You can clean it sometime tomorrow." Cloud said.

"Tonight was a lot of fun wasn't it?" Denzel asked.

"It sure was. Your aunt spoils you, you know? Don't get used to it." Cloud reminded him. Denzel laughed.

"She doesn't spoil me that much." Denzel said.

"She took you and Marlene all the way across town tonight so you two could get the good candy from all the doctors' and lawyers' homes. That's spoiled for sure!" Cloud said grabbing hold of Denzel. Denzel laughed again.

"I guess she does spoil us. Are you going to bed?" Denzel wondered.

"It's past 11:30 and I'm tired. So yes, I'm going to bed." Cloud answered him.

"Well, okay then. Goodnight. Do you think I'm too old to hug you?" Denzel asked.

"You'll never be too old to hug me." Cloud said reaching his arms out to Denzel." That made Denzel feel better.

"Okay, well goodnight then." Denzel said squeezing Cloud tightly before letting him go. "Do you think someday soon I'll be as strong as you are?" Denzel asked out of nowhere.

"You might be. If you work at it of course." Cloud said.

"But you never work out or anything and you're so strong." Denzel said.

"It's because I pick boxes up all the time." Cloud told him.

"You don't pick up as many boxes as you use to. You sit behind a desk most of the day!" Denzel challenged him.

"You're getting too smart Denzel. Go back to the days when I could fool you into thinking I work out and that I actually care about keeping the definition in these arms of mine." Cloud said. Denzel laughed at him.

"Hey! I have an idea! Let's you and me go to the gym sometime! Just us! You can help me!" Denzel said, his eyes shining.

"You're trying to kill me aren't you? We'll see about it. Maybe next weekend." Cloud said.

"Okay!" Denzel answered him. Just as he did in Marlene's room; Cloud turned Denzel's light out and closed the door behind him. He turned the lights out in their living room. The only lights to be seen now were the small orange colored lights that Marlene and Yuffie had wrapped around the balcony banister about a week earlier. Cloud walked into him and Tifa's room only to find her on the edge of the bed glued to some slasher flick on TV.

"That is the fakest thing ever." Cloud said making fun of her. "But I know we are going to stay up watching those movies like we're interested."

" Look how scary it is! That crazed psycho killer is going after the innocent barely clad lady running through the yard!" Tifa said.

"Yes, Tifa that's so terrifying." Cloud said still making fun of her.

"Shut up! She's gonna get stabbed!" Tifa said. Cloud turned their bedroom lamp out and pulled her backwards into his arms in their bed. Their bedroom window was open but the sounds and smells were nothing like Nibelheim...it smelled like Midgar. The sounds of traffic and the smell of exhaust and neighboring restaurants certainly wasn't the pines and bonfires of the north…but that same content feeling that Cloud and Tifa had felt in Nibelheim was present once again. Tifa felt so warm in her oversized sweatshirt as Cloud rubbed his body against hers. She put her arms around Cloud and pulled him on top of her.

"Hey you know what? I've been thinking...the next time we go back to Nibelheim…let's get a cabin. Let's get a cabin in the mountains; take the kids; invite Yuffie and whoever else you think we should invite and just go and have a wonderful time." Cloud said. Tifa smiled.

"I would like that. We could build our own bonfire outside…and then you and I could take a hot shower together to wash the smell of smoke off our bodies. She said.

"I'm very interested now…let's plan on doing that." Cloud said.

"We will Now, tell me…what you want me to wear right now? Tifa said stroking her hands all over his back. Cloud had his hands up her sweatshirt and on her bare skin.

"What are you wearing underneath these pants?" Cloud asked kissing her neck.

"Silky panties." Tifa said softly.

"Wear those…just those." Cloud said kissing her neck again. Tifa laughed as Cloud's fingers tickled her sides. "You're going to be on top too." Cloud said still tickling her.

"No, I'm not. I'm too tired." Tifa insisted.

"Oh my god, you sound like a wife." Cloud said teasing her.

"I do not! I cooked over half the evening for a party! I am _really_ tired. If I wanted to sound like a wife I would pick up a craft magazine and tell you that I wasn't in the mood. Then I would proceed to gossip about so and so's mom's boob job and you would pretend to listen because _that's_ what husbands do." Tifa said.

"God, that is frighteningly accurate. I'm so glad neither of those scenarios is us. You know what; I'd do anything you say anyway. You don't have to move at all if you don't want to. But oooooh you're so warm and you're so soft. I think I'm just going to lay on you and go to sleep to the sound of crazed killers and screaming helpless women." Cloud said kissing her.

"No! Don't lay on me! My god Cloud, you are dead weight when you do that! Tifa complained.

"But you're soft! And you still smell like pumpkins." Cloud whined at her. Tifa wrapped her arms around him and dug one hand into his hair. His body did feel so good laying there on top of her.

"Fine...your hair smells good anyway. There's one of those creepy paranormal movies coming on next. You want to watch it! Come on, you know how sexually charged those are! Someone may even get naked…like maybe you." Tifa mumbled into the top of his head.

"I'm going to get_ you_ naked right now. Well, down to your panties anyway." Cloud said kissing her again. Tifa slipped her arms above her head.

"I won't say no to that." She said laughing.

"I love you." He said stripping Tifa of her sweatshirt. The cold air sent chills all over her beautiful body.

"Mmmm…I love you too." She put her arms around Cloud knowing that this weekend would go by too quickly. Sure the weekends were fleeting around here, but one thing was certain; they would have so many more to look forward together as newly anointed husband and wife.


End file.
